Ephemeral
by Ember Mage
Summary: A diller, a dollar. A missing Mouri daughter. Sometimes your best friend can turn out to be your worst enemy. Is trust a virtue? Reminisced by Haibara and Conan.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.   
  
**Additional notes:** Wow, _another_ **Detective Conan** fanfiction? The author must be on a roll.

* * *

**Ephemeral   
  
By Ember Mage   
  
Prologue**

* * *

Rain was falling in sheets outside around Tokyo. Rainy days like today symbolize an unfortunate event; the arrival of doom, like in childhood fairytales. Or that may be so to describe the crestfallen children eagerly yearning for the warmth of the sun so they can escape the dungeons of their households to run out into the wild zones of kickball. Boredom and dismay. These days, rain meant different things. Rain can be interpreted into other types of emotions. It can also be a tool for inspiration. For say, an artist is inspired by the small icy teardrops rolling from a gray sky, and would enjoy playing in the mud all through the afternoon to be inspired for a poem or an art piece. Running out to feel the cold droplets against his face, to feel and be the rain itself. Rain can be the source of sadness, because it represents the teardrops falling from one's eyes, or it can be used in stories that bond the girl and boy together in romance, causing a dramatic scene.   
  
Rain had seperated his search from the one girl he had loved since.... forever can be assumed.   
  
That is, until today.   
  
Feet splattered around puddles, trailing fresh mud and dirty rain water up his pants. But of course he didn't care. He knew where he was going, and all that mattered was that he had to save her. His jacket dampened from the scattering droplets, and his shoes were caked with mud.   
  
The boy bounded back into Dr. Agasa's lab, hair slicked with cold sweat and rain, his glasses dotted with water. His feet welcomed mud onto the clean tile floors, and his jacket was continuously dripping. Unlike the usual, the house was dark, and all the lights had been clicked off. Window blinds were shut.   
  
Just like his dream.   
  
The room. Dark and cold, yet addicting. Nothing brightened up the room except for a capsule, which contained...   
  
The little boy steadied and cautioned himself to be careful. Who knows if the kidnapper would kill him?   
  
He ended up towards the living room, where one window beamed a ray of faint light on the floors. Conan looked around at his surroundings, trusting his instincts that the suspect was here. And watching him.   
  
"I'm surprised to see you here, Detective Boy." A figure stepped out from the shadows, its face still concealed by the darkness. A playful smirk could be made out, and a pair of hands giving a slow applause was all he needed to hear.   
  
"Who are you?" yelled Conan, leaping back at the sound of the voice. His feet sent him sliding across the floors with his watch out and ready.   
  
"For a detective, you sure are slow,"commented the voice of the kidnapper, keeping it calm and steady. It strolled around in a few dramatic steps. Conan recognized the figure by its voice, but yet he continued to search for the kidnapper.   
  
"What's going on?" demanded Conan, squeeging water from his bangs, then tossing his head to remove the chunk of hair blocking his view. "The kidnapper.... I can sense him here! Get down!"   
  
A dry, bitter laugh, followed with a playful glint in the figure's eyes. "You need not to search any more, Kudo Shinichi."   
  
Conan's pupils grew smaller and his face turned pale as soon as he absorbed the information. He gasped in shock and nearly ceased his fire. But... it couldn't be.   
  
Could it?   
  
The young detective kept his watch out, but his tiny hands were trembling. He swallowed and tried to sound courageous, but his voice sounded shaky and weak. "No...." he croaked, letting his voice trail off.   
  
Why?   
  
Was this a joke?   
  
He swallowed again and regained his voice, this time sounding more defiant. "No, you can't be it.... you're not the kidnapper! You would never kidnap Ran! You have no motive....!"   
  
The figure raised a finger to its cheek in a thoughtful pose, as if it were contemplating. "Or do I?" It droned in a monotone voice.   
  
"Why? Tell me!" yelled Conan, spotting a rectangular shape in the figure's hand. Perhaps a weapon or a remote that could kill him or Ran. He still kept his watch out and impatiently waited for the figure to answer his question.   
  
A smile crept onto its face. "Because.... fate has its own ways, Kudo. And you and I can't change it."   
  
Conan didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but inwardly, he felt betrayed.   
  
"How could you do this to me? I... I trusted you! We were friends!"   
  
There was a moment of silence, and then another chuckle. "It was merely a trial to see if you knew that your culprit is just little old me."   
  
Conan shook his head. "Trial or not, you kidnapped Ran! Where is she?"   
  
"She's right here with me. But I must warn you, if you want to see her it might not be pretty." A shrug. "But I'd guess you still want to see her, ugly or not. Well, I warned you." The figure casually revealed the remote control and behind it a wardrobe door began to slide slowly. The doors made way for a glowing item inside. After the doors shifted inside, Conan's mouth dropped. Simultaneously, his arm dropped down to his side, and his hands balled up into fists.   
  
Behind the wardrobe door was just like in Conan's dream.   
  
The room. Dark and cold, yet addicting. Nothing brightened up the room except for a capsule, which contained...   
  
"_RAN_!!"   
  
And that was what they know of the fragile ego. 


	2. Unquenched Desires

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.  
  
**Additional notes:** Some people have guessed who the kidnapper was. Currently, there's one vote for Dr. Agasa and another vote for Heiji.

* * *

Yet again I am using the Japanese version, so I will provide a list of names to avoid confusion. Japanese names have their family name listed first. It's just a habit of mine.  
  
Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 130.)  
Haibara Ai - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 129.)  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Dr. Agasa Hiroshi - Dr. Agasa  
There's more, but since all the characters in the anime don't really appear in this story, I won't list them. I'll list them if they happen to be in this chapter.

* * *

**Prelude**

_"Conan-kun! I'm leaving!" called Ran from the front door.  
  
"Where are you heading off to, Ran-nee-chan?" Conan leaped from the stairs to look at his "older sister."  
  
"It's a secret,"said Ran with a wink. "I'll see you soon! Don't worry!"  
  
But somehow, her last words became a lie. _

* * *

**Ephemeral  
  
By Ember Mage  
  
Chapter 1: Unquenched Desires**

* * *

Rain was falling in sheets outside around Tokyo. Rainy days like today symbolize an unfortunate event; the arrival of doom, like in childhood fairytales. Or that may be so to describe the crestfallen children eagerly yearning for the warmth of the sun so they can escape the dungeons of their households to run out into the wild zones of kickball. Boredom and dismay. These days, rain meant different things. Rain can be interpreted into other types of emotions. It can also be a tool for inspiration. For say, an artist is inspired by the small icy teardrops rolling from a gray sky, and would enjoy playing in the mud all through the afternoon to be inspired for a poem or an art piece. Running out to feel the cold droplets against his face, to feel and be the rain itself. Rain can be the source of sadness, because it represents the teardrops falling from one's eyes, or it can be used in stories that bond the girl and boy together in romance, causing a dramatic scene.  
  
Rain had seperated his search from the one girl he had loved since.... forever can be assumed.  
  
That boy is hiding in a corner, hunched in a brown blanket, with his glasses resting on the coffee table. Sitting on a dark green loveseat. His name? Edogawa Conan to all, but Kudo Shinichi to me.  
  
The radio had been tuned up and was set to the news channel. Even through its distorted sounds and shaky connection (from the rain), the unmistakable words could not be drowned out.  
  
"_Police officers continue their search for the disappearance of 17-year-old high school karate champion, Mouri Ran. Daughter of the locally famous 'Sleeping Detective' Mouri Kogoro. Not long ago had she..._"  
  
The little boy was curled up cozily, anxious eyes staring blankly at the table. His hair was messily frayed and damp from the storm, and his hands were folded wistfully around his face, as if he was thinking of some solution. His eyes were saddened, and he stared glumly at the floor. Thinking as always.  
  
A tap on his shoulder brought his attention to the steaming mug on my tiny hands. His eyes softened at the sight and nodded.  
  
"Thanks for consoling me at my time of need, Haibara,"mumbled Kudo, absentmindedly removing the warm mug from my outstretched hands and taking a sip. "It must have been a burden for you to take your research off of the APTX 4869 and on my behavior."  
  
"Not really,"I mumbled coldly, reaching for a folder on the coffee table. I flipped through its contents in hope of more useful info, but found none. The folder was then slammed shut with a sigh and found its place back onto the table.  
  
"I told her not to..." grumbled Kudo, his quiet depression resorting to anger. "I knew it! I should have been there! I should have been there for her before - it...." His voice cracked at the end of his rant, and he doubled over, choking out hidden sobs.  
  
I had never seen him like this. Pity washed up over my heart. All of these months, I loved him, but knew that he would be only a friend to me. I always regretted hurting him - especially taking away his angel with the APTX 4869 ordeal.  
  
"That's all right, Kudo-kun. Let it out." My voice sounded hard and emotionless by nature at that comment, but Kudo seemed to take it kindly. Little boys can do so much of what men can do. I guess that it was safe for Kudo to cry at this state right now.  
  
"She.... she shouldn't have done this to me! She knows I care for her!" Kudo pulled the coffee-colored blankets over his red eyes, bawling for what seemed to me like infinity. I gingerly touched his shoulder and found myself patting his back, indicating to him that I was there.  
  
"She knows both you as Shinichi and Conan both care,"I stated, rather coldly.  
  
"Then... why....?" His voice was muffled.  
  
I sighed and drew up from the green furniture piece. "Because.... fate has its own ways, Kudo. And you and I can't change it."  
  
He knew how concerned I was, even if I dropped the suffix at the end. I wasn't sure if that was a wise thing to say, but it fit. Kudo wiped an eye and frowned. He slammed a fist against the cushion of the furniture piece as if he were Mouri Ran, the girl who was known to punch things and break them. The girl that was the cause of his plight.  
  
Dr. Agasa was listening intently to our conversation and was busying himself with concocting more experimental antidotes to our unfortunate predicament. My research off of the APTX 4869 was being substituted by Dr. Agasa's current knowledge of the drug. He flipped through a packet off of all the data I had managed to recover and recreate from the Black Organization.  
  
"Was it possible that Vermouth had killed her already?" asked Kudo timidly. "Or maybe Gin knows... it has to be something like this. If Vermouth had told Gin our identities, then they must have kidnapped Ran, and that probably is just the start. They'll go after my parents, Hattori, Agasa-hakase, everyone!"  
  
"Which means we should be more careful now, Shinichi,"Dr. Agasa piped up before the contents of a beaker exploded harmlessly.  
  
I silenced him with a worried look. "Please don't worry about it anymore, Kudo-kun. We'll find a way."  
  
"WHAT WOULD THAT BE??" he snapped, glaring at me. His face softened as soon as he saw how surprised I was. "I-I'm sorry, Haibara. It's just that Ran's..."  
  
"We know, Kudo-kun. We know." I said quietly.  
  
"If the Black Organization had kidnapped Ran-kun, we might've gotten a message already." Dr. Agasa rubbed his chin, his face puzzled. "A phone call, fax, e-mail of some sort, but so far we have none. Ran-kun's been gone for almost a week. You think they would have sent something by now."  
  
I agreed. "That is pretty strange. Normally, if the syndicate has gotten their hands on their target, they would have started setting up a ransom and delivering the unwanted message to the victim's friends and family. I remembered when I still worked their, Vodka would call within a few days, but if he had Mouri-san, he would have called by now."  
  
"Then it might have been a normal kidnapping case,"concluded Dr. Agasa. "It might have been some man with a grudge against Ran-kun's father. We know how much Shinichi made him famous, and their allies might have wanted to get their revenge by kidnapping his daughter. We know how much she means to him."  
  
Kudo was the only one not participating in this conversation. Finally, he spoke up.  
  
"Haibara.... Agasa-hakase..." mumbled Kudo, bowing his head so low that his bangs shadowed his eyes. "The.... the truth is... I _knew_ before that something was wrong with Ran."  
  
Both Dr. Agasa and I stopped and glanced at him.  
  
"Every night from the past few weeks, I'd always wake up in the middle of the night. I'd sense that Ran was in a distress, so I would check up on her in her room. Ironically, she's been sitting on the windowsill, letting the wind caress her face..."  
  
"Shinichi-kun." Dr. Agasa turned pale as he stared at Kudo.  
  
Kudo nodded. "She looked so mystical that it was scary, like she'd sprout wings immediately and fly into heaven. She kept saying,_ I have a feeling that Shinichi will come home soon_ and something about the song of a dove calling towards her. At first I thought it was a girl thing, but now it's leading me down to that maybe she's lost it."  
  
"So there are signs." I finally muttered shyly, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"But one afternoon.... she told me that she had to leave for something. I never saw her again after that." His last words broke out into a whisper, when a buzzing sound interrupted him. Dr. Agasa stood up to leave the room.  
  
"I can't believe I didn't notice this before... I'm so stupid...!" Kudo let his fist ram on top of the coffee table.  
  
"Kudo-kun," I started slowly. "I'm sure Mouri-san is fine, wherever she is. Even if you had noticed it before the event, you couldn't prevent it. Her own desires cannot go unquenched."  
  
A choking sound came out from the back of Kudo's throat.  
  
Dr. Agasa came back, his face as neutral as it was before.  
  
"Shinichi-kun, Heiji-kun is here." 


	3. Pizza Surprise

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.  
  
**Additional notes:** Currently we have one vote for Heiji, one vote for Dr. Agasa, and one vote for Haibara! What do you guys think?

* * *

Yet again I am using the Japanese version, so I will provide a list of names to avoid confusion. Japanese names have their family name listed first. It's just a habit of mine.  
  
Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 130.)  
Haibara Ai - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 129.)  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Dr. Agasa Hiroshi - Dr. Agasa  
There's more, but since all the characters in the anime don't really appear in this story, I won't list them. I'll list them if they happen to be in this chapter.

* * *

**Prelude**

_Conan surprisingly found himself awake for the umpteenth time that week. What had happened? He wondered to himself as he wiped the cold sweat off of his face, and pushed on his glasses. Somehow inside of him, a voice told him Ran was awake and was in trouble._

_Oddly, it didn't sound like it. Conan normally would have heard a voice moaning,"Shinichi!" or even soft sniffles from crying, but nothing was to be heard, except for the loud snoring of Mouri Kogoro. Conan pushed himself off of his mattress, careful not to wake Kogoro, and snuck out of his room._

_"I can't say mou sukoshi dake I'm waiting for a chance...."_

_The musical voice faintly echoed in the dark hall. The boy recognized that voice - it was Ran! But why was she singing?_

_Conan slowly closed the door behind him and reached out for the doorknob on Ran's door. He tediously turned the knob, careful not to make any audible sound, and opened the door._

_To his amazement, Ran was awake. She wasn't sleep-talking._

_But what was she doing?!_

_The young teenager sat on the windowsill of her room, her legs dangling outside in the night air. The room was slightly cold from the gusts of the passing midnight breeze billowing upon her face and hair. Conan couldn't see Ran's face, but he could tell what her expression was - wistful, half-asleep, and dreamy._

_"Ran-nee-chan?" asked Conan, almost forgetting to add the suffix onto her name._

_The girl did not turn around and greet him with a cheerful smile, but she closed her eyes and sighed._

_"Ran?!"_

_This time Conan did not bother to add the suffix onto her name, for he was so concerned about her that he couldn't concentrate._

_Ran opened her lips to speak, but one word rolled out of her mouth._

_"Shinichi?"_

_"Ran!"_

_Ran finally came to her senses and bowed her head, giving a warm moonflower smile._

_"C-conan-kun..... I'm sorry..... it's just that I was caught up in the moment, that I had forgotten that you weren't Shinichi..."_

_Conan sighed with relief. "What are you doing sitting on your window, Ran-nee-chan? This is the fourth time I've seen you like this. Is there anything wrong?"_

_The girl turned to look at him, and Conan was in awe of the beauty of this scene. It was almost frightening - Ran looked so angelic in that white nightdress of hers that she looked as if she would sprout wings and fly away._

_"Not really, Conan-kun. Would you mind joining me?"_

_Conan could not protest against her actions. What could hurt? "N-no, Ran-nee-chan."_

_Ran eagerly stretched out a hand, and Conan gently grasped it. She reached over her other hand and pulled him up, seating him next to her on the window._

_She closed her eyes again. "Isn't this wonderful, Conan-kun? Do you hear nature speaking to you?"_

_Conan could not hear anything but the faint sounds of downtown traffic. He did not say that though, in fear of disappointing Ran._

_The silence from him gave Ran his answer. "If you can listen well enough and the traffic is low, you can hear the song of the dove." She opened her eyes and motioned him to do so. "Try..."_

_Conan strained to catch onto a cry of the dove, until finally, a "Coo... coo" sound entered his ears. "Yeah, I hear it."_

_Ran smiled. "Sometimes the animals can give you a message from the future."_

_"Eh?" Conan was confused. Since when did Ran speak like poetry?_

_The karate champion went on. "To me, the dove is telling me that there's a sign - a sign where Shinichi will come back soon. Isn't that great?"_

_"Very fine. Great." Conan nodded in agreement. In his mind, he was still baffled, and wondered when Haibara would invent a cure soon._

_Ran gently stroked Conan's head, caressing his dark hair while opening her mouth to sing to the moon again._

_"Secret of my heart utagattemo nai ne itsu datte sukoshi no mirai ga areba_...."

_Conan could feel his eyelids drop upon the soft melody, but forced himself to stay awake. However, sleep won the battle, but the last words he heard from that song remained in his mind.  
_  
"_I'm waiting for a chance_...."

* * *

**Ephemeral  
  
By Ember Mage  
  
Chapter 2: Pizza Surprise**

* * *

I turned away from the table and instantly saw Hattori Heiji, the Osakan detective of the west. His normal wide grin had been replaced with a somber and gloomy look, and as far as I could see, he was also not enjoying the disappearance of Mouri Ran. As soon as the teenager had entered the room, clothes damp from the rain, he had taken off his damp SAX baseball cap (like children do in American schools as soon as they enter a room) and stared at Kudo with anxious eyes.  
  
"Kudo,"he finally spoke. "I heard what happened."  
  
I immediately shot him a glare that told him not to make things worse by highlighting the dreaded parts. Hattori took a step back at my frightening stare, and he cleared his throat. Kudo glanced at me, aware of my glaring at the great detective of the west, and then at Hattori. "It's okay, Haibara." The small child nodded and sighed.  
  
"I heard what happened,"repeated Hattori, thoughtfully choosing the right words to say as a long moment of silence passed along. "I want you to know that I informed my father and he's dispersing the police around to search for Nee-chan."  
  
A moment of silence. Hattori spoke again as he took a seat next to Kudo.  
  
"I know how much she means to you, Kudo. That's why we mustn't give up hope for saving her. She's my friend too. I'm always there when a friend needs help, right?"  
  
"You're right, Hattori,"Kudo droned flatly in a monotone voice, pushing back his messy wet bangs. He slowly loked at him with a tired expression. "Thank you."  
  
The scene was so depressing it was enough to make anyone sick. Hattori was not his normal, teasing self, and Kudo was not annoyed with him like he normally was. Both of them were forced into a stony, unhappy mood, which is how I normally sounded.  
  
"Has the organization that drugged you contacted you yet?" asked Hattori.  
  
Dr. Agasa shook his head, and I said,"We don't even know if it was then that did it."  
  
Hattori rubbed his chin. "We have too less information right now. The best thing is to wait patiently and search for hidden clues."  
  
"Do you think that Kid the phantom theif is behind all this?" asked the professor.  
  
Kudo reluctantly shook his head. "No. Kid steals valuables. He is neither a ruthless killer nor a kidnapper. We're getting nowhere by guessing." 

I agreed. "All the possibilities of the disappearance of Mouri were leading to nowhere. Let's not jump to conclusions and do what Hattori says."

The doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is,"mumbled Dr. Agasa, breaking into a small jog towards the front door.

"Probably Kazuha,"murmured Hattori gloomily. "She's here in Tokyo right now." His eyes darkened as he bowed his head. His bangs hid the top half of his face from view as he added,"Nee-chan was her friend too."

I remained my quiet self, and soon Hattori and Kudo were silent as well. From this position, I could hear Dr. Agasa's voice echo across the room as he confronted a pizza delivery boy.

"That's odd,"the doctor was saying rather loudly. "I don't recall ordering pizza today."

"But you called and ordered to deliver to this address,"groaned the annoyed voice of the delivery boy. "I have it recorded on the receipt, and it would be such a shame to waste all our hard work."

"Is this some kind of joke?" questioned Dr. Agasa. "I never ordered any pizza today. This must be a prank pulled by younger children, like those American kids!"

"Would you take the pizza anyway?" complained the delivery boy. "Whoever it was, the caller had asked us to infringe a message upon the pizza."

Hattori's thick eyebrows shot up and Kudo's eyes widened. Even that last sentence sparked my interest. I could tell Dr. Agasa changing his mind as he replied with,"Oh, well, thank you."

The door slammed shut as Dr. Agasa reappeared in the room, holding a white box, with the heat of the greasy fast food eminating from its cardboard confines.

"Careful,"warned Hattori, looking from the harmless-looking box to Kudo. "Who knows what can be inside?"

"Only one way to find out,"answered Kudo, and carefully, he placed his small hands upon the lid.

"Kudo-kun..." I heard myself caution as Kudo lifted the lid slowly.

As soon as the insides were exposed, Kudo ducked under the table. Dr. Agasa and Hattori retreated behind the couch. I slid down under the loveseat. What could splatter out at us? Anthrax? A bomb?

A few seconds passed, and nothing happened.

"It's all right, guys,"called Kudo, pushing himself up from the table. His face suddenly turned pale.

"Oi, Kudo, what's wrong?" asked Hattori suddenly. As his eyes scanned the pizza, he gasped too, his pupils suddenly turning small from horror.

Upon the flat circle of the pizza, there was a message written with olives.

_The orchid was led astray, and now her allies shall pay_.

Beads of sweat formed across Dr. Agasa's wrinkled forehead as he read the message aloud. "_The orchid was led astray, and now her allies shall pay_."

Hattori continued where Dr. Agasa left off, his voice quivering from every word. "_The withering flower is safe with me, but a price shall be paid, as you can see_."

I found myself reciting the poem. "_Listen to this riddle, as you shall know, where the orchid thrives, where the orchid grows_."

With a shaky voice, Kudo ended the poem. "_Where I can be found is where people can heal. This clue given is where the old ones appeal_."

A pair of cold, sweaty palms tightened its grip onto the pizza box. His body slumped in defeat and discouragement.

Dr. Agasa read the message again and again, and said,"Perhaps it was the Kid. This sounds like one of his messages."

"No,"replied Hattori.

Silence.

And then the dread words spilled from his mouth.

Shaking his head, Hattori concluded,"They've got her."

* * *

**Or do they? Can anyone solve the riddle?**


	4. The Echo of Silence

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.  
  
**Additional notes:** One vote for Heiji, one vote for Dr. Agasa, and three votes for Ai so far.

* * *

Yet again I am using the Japanese version, so I will provide a list of names to avoid confusion. Japanese names have their family name listed first. It's just a habit of mine.  
  
Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 130.)  
Haibara Ai - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 129.)  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Dr. Agasa Hiroshi - Dr. Agasa  
Yoshida Ayumi - Amy Yoshida  
Kojima Genta - George Kojima  
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko - Mitch (His last name was never mentioned in **Case Closed**. Chances are it's still left as "Tsuburaya.")  
Detective Boys - Junior Detective League  
There's more, but since all the characters in the anime don't really appear in this story, I won't list them. I'll list them if they happen to be in this chapter.

* * *

**Prelude**

_A usual Sunday night. __Ran was upstairs finishing up her math homework for school the next day, and Kogoro was busy watching and taping the latest episode of **Ai no Kimochi**. Normally you would have guessed that a man like him would not bother watching sissy soap operas for deprived teenaged girls, but he was different._

_Or maybe it was because Okino Yoko played Ranko in the series._

_Who would watch this type of garbage remained a mystery to Conan. Sure, Heiji had called a couple of times and did mention that he was sick of Kazuha's dumb soap operas. The actions in the show were practically redundant - girl thinks her boyfriend loves another girl, they have an oh, so **tragic** argument, girl leaves and walks in the park to heal from her heartbreak, only to see her boyfriend there, which they make up, live long in peace, and yadda yadda._

_Conan yawned, wiping an eye under his enormously large pair of glasses. As he pulled them off and cleaned them with his breath and his shirt, he realized something was wrong. It wasn't that Kogoro was lounging over the couch again, snoozing off all the beer he drank, or the empty beer cans littered all over the carpet (in which Kogoro was too lazy to throw into the recycling bin)._

_Something was wrong..._

_... with her._

_Conan's psychic link with Ran never failed him (like Heiji and Kazuha's). Whenever he thought something was wrong with Ran, there is a fair chance that he is most likely correct. He excused himself from the couch and made his way up the stairs to Ran's room. Not bothering to knock, Conan swiftly opened the door with a **click**._

_The door was unlocked, and when Conan crept in, he did not find Ran doing her homework. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, blinking away the fresh tears that blurred her cerulean eyes._

_"R-ran-nee-chan?" questioned Conan, stepping forward to observe his babysitter._

_As soon as the presence of Conan registered in the brunette's mind, she quickly looked away and wiped her eyes clean. Clearing her throat, she whispered,"Yes, Conan-kun?"_

_Her voice failed to hide the sadness caught in the back of her throat. Conan's large eyes softened and he took a seat next to her on the mattress. "Are you okay??"_

_"I'm fine, Conan-kun. Really." Her voice broke off and drifted into the silent air as she faced away from Conan and at the wall, shaded by the lack of light._

_"Ran...." Conan looked crestfallen, but with both of his child-sized hands he reached for one of Ran's own hands._

_"Ran,"Conan started again, sucking in a deep breath. "Is it about Shinichi-nii-chan?"_

_An uncomfortable pause. __Ran said nothing._

_Conan went on, knowing that he was right. "Don't worry about it,"he assured, rubbing her hand. "He'll be back soon! I know that! He's probably still cracking that case that's taking him so long to figure out!"_

_Ran sighed, letting a jeweled tear dribble off of her cheek and sink into her blankets. The little detective formerly known as Kudo Shinichi assumed that this was probably the wrong thing to say at the moment. But the good news was that Ran had quieted down for the moment._

_"Go away,"was Ran's next response._

_"But Ran-" Conan started to protested, but she waved him off._

_"Go away, Conan-kun! Just-just-"_

_Conan immediately hugged Ran, saying,"But Ran! He-"_

_Ran seemed stunned by his actions, but then she calmed down and enveloped him in her embrace._

_"Conan-kun.... thank you...._

_Conan carefully awaited her next response._

_"You're such a blessing..... and you're right...... perhaps Shinichi will come home soon...."_

* * *

**Ephemeral  
Chapter 3: The Echo of Silence  
  
By Ember Mage**

* * *

Rain was falling in sheets outside around Tokyo. Rainy days like today symbolize an unfortunate event; the arrival of doom, like in childhood fairytales. Or that may be so to describe the crestfallen children eagerly yearning for the warmth of the sun so they can escape the dungeons of their households to run out into the wild zones of kickball. Boredom and dismay. These days, rain meant different things. Rain can be interpreted into other types of emotions. It can also be a tool for inspiration. For say, an artist is inspired by the small icy teardrops rolling from a gray sky, and would enjoy playing in the mud all through the afternoon to be inspired for a poem or an art piece. Running out to feel the cold droplets against his face, to feel and be the rain itself. Rain can be the source of sadness, because it represents the teardrops falling from one's eyes, or it can be used in stories that bond the girl and boy together in romance, causing a dramatic scene.  
  
Rain had seperated his search from the one girl he had loved since.... forever can be assumed. 

And then there was darkness.

Total darkness.

I can still remember and picture the rest of the night just as if it were yesterday. The pizza made its way into Dr. Agasa's refrigerator, and obviously, no one had bothered to eat it nor touch it. It was as if Kudo and Hattori didn't want anything to do with it, yet they still kept the evidence.

The rain was still drizzling in the neighborhood. Dr. Agasa had convinced Mouri's idiot father to let Kudo stay here for the night, and surprisingly he had agreed. I anticipate that he too needed time alone to go outside in the dreadful weather to help organize the search party for Mouri, and if Kudo was there, surely everything would be more complicated for the famous sleeping detective.

Odd, you may find it. Why wasn't Kudo helping the police look for Mouri?

The answer was within the pizza that was delivered yesterday.

Hattori had suggested that we shouldn't involve the police, in fear that the organization might find out and change their plans. Maybe even _kill_ Mouri for all we know. It was best for us to figure out the riddle to get to the hiding spot.

Hattori was also allowed to stay over. Dr. Agasa had provided extra cots for the busy detectives. A few minutes ago, his girlfriend Toyama had phoned him saying that if he was staying in Tokyo, then she would have to too. Mouri's friend Suzuki is currently letting Toyama stay at her house. Needless to say, I had warned Hattori not to let Toyama and Suzuki be involved with what we were doing.

I had just come home, finishing an errand for Dr. Agasa. Since he was on the phone talking to Hattori's father, I had halted my research for the antidote again and ran out for supplies and food. My boots were slicked with rain water and frosted in mud. I closed the faded blue umbrella that was encrusted with jewel-like rain drops and plopped it into the umbrella container by the front door.

"Haibara!" cried Kudo, eyeing me as I took off my boots. Something must have happened to him, otherwise he wouldn't have been _that_ relieved to see me. "You shouldn't be dawdling out there in the open! What if Gin initated an ambush?"

"Relax,"I retorted coolly, shaking the wet bag that contained the food. "I can take care of myself."

Kudo frowned a little bit. "Haibara, if you were kidnapped by Gin I wouldn't forgive myself. They've already got Ran, and I can't let that happen again. I've already promised to protect you, no matter what, and if I don't, I'd be doing something that would betray everything I've known."

I smirked coldly, and nodded. Changing the subject, I questioned about their progress so far on the riddle. "How is it going with the message?"

Hattori shrugged. "It's very vague, but I would say a pharmacy or a hospital. People can get what they need there to heal, and seniors are commonly found around there."

Kudo nodded in agreement. "Just what I was thinking. We should start at the Araide Hospital." He turned to me. "What's your opinion?"

I slumped down onto the green loveseat and folded my arms. "I don't know. I'm not the detective around here."

"Yes, you are!" chimed in a squeaky voice.

Oh.... no.....

Not _them_. Please, oh, _please_, not _them_. _Not now_!

Standing on the doormat of Dr. Agasa's front hall were a trio of dripping children - Kojima, Yoshida, and Tsuburaya, all clad in colorful slickers. I slapped my forehead. Surely these kids weren't fool enough to get themselves deep in the dangers of a secret crime organization that even they didn't know about. They could be killed! Tiny (I don't think that would be a precise adjective to describe Kojima), innocent, little 7-year-old weaklings that didn't know much about the unsafe hazards of the outside world!

I could sense Kudo's uneasiness with the children hanging around, and I could see that Hattori's face twitched as soon as he sensed their presence. However, that didn't stop the Detective Boys from trying to jump into the case.

What surprised me was their motivation. Normally on our usual cases, they would crack a goofy and excited smile to begin their investigation, but today all of them looked so _stern_. Like they were actually serious. Not even Yoshida was bearing a happy grin on her face.

"We're going to help you guys find Ran-nee-chan!" declared Kojima proudly.

"Ran-nee-chan was family to us too,"informed Yoshida triumphantly. "No one gets away with hurting our friend!"

Tsuburaya nodded and added,"We'll rescue her, no matter what!"

Hattori looked away. "I'm sorry, but the police have this under control. We can't just barge in and start dipping our heads into nowhere."

Kudo and I looked at him warily. Before the Detective Boys noticed, Hattori flipped a wink in our direction. We both got the message and decided to play along with the Osakan detective's plan.

"He's right,"I mumbled. "There's nothing we can do at the moment."

Kojima frowned. "Don't say that, Haibara! We're the Detective Boys. We've never failed before. We've always stuck together side by side and finished off a case one by one!"

"Please, Ai-chan, Conan-kun!" cried Yoshida, making her way to our front. "We want to help Ran-nee-chan, even if we die from it!"

Kudo thought quickly and then snapped his fingers. "All right then. You guys stay with the police and look for anything suspicious. We'll go around the town."

"Now that sounds like the Conan we know!" trumpeted Kojima. Then his face fell. "How come you guys do the investigating while we stay with the police?"

"The police might need help,"I suggested quickly.

The Detective Boys saluted with a loud,"OKAY!!" and charged out of the laboratory, waving their Detective Boys badges to contact us when necessary. As soon as they left, Kudo and Hattori sighed loudly.

"Shall we head off to the Araide Hospital then?" asked Hattori. Kudo and I nodded.

* * *

We went through the Araide Hospital, leafing in the lobbies for any traces of Mouri's disappearance. The Araide Hospital was under new management, after Dr. Araide Tomoaki had supposedly "died" in a car crash when he was actually living somewhere else, thanks to the witness protection program. The clean carpets held not even a hair from the karate champion's head. 

We tried many pharmacies and doctor clinics around Beika, but we found nothing. Kudo grumbled in frustration, thinking over hinted clues from the poem on the pizza.

"It was all a lie,"groaned Hattori as we took refuge by the supermarket, shaded by the fierce shower of rain that never seemed to cease.

"It would be a waste of time to go through all of the trouble putting together the poem, though,"I pointed out."

Kudo nodded. "True. But there's still something that bugs me...." His mind suddenly clicked.

"What is it?" I asked.

Kudo didn't answer me and snapped his fingers. "Th-that's _it_! Let's head to the park right now!"

"Park? But-" Hattori started to ask, but suddenly, we were chasing Kudo down the sidewalks as he sped for the central park. When we got to the grassy field, Kudo skidded to a halt, smiling, pleased with what he had discovered.

"Kudo-kun, tell us what we're doing here,"I demanded.

Kudo smirked. "It's rather simple. Old people tend to spend their days excercising or feeding the birds in the park, and people heal from heartbreak by walking through the park and thinking their thoughts over."

Hattori opened his mouth in wonder. "Ohhhhhh. You got that from watching _Ai no Kimochi_? Why would you watch a girly soap opera?"

Kudo chose to ignore that teasing remark, and started searching around the bushes. Hattori checked the nearby trees and sidewalks. I started my search down at the public water fountains, but I suddenly stopped at what I immediately saw scribbled on one.

_Since you did not halt and stay, the orchid bud has flown away_.

"Haibara! What's wrong?" yelled Kudo as soon as he saw the horror flicked upon my face. He saw the message written on the metal of the water fountain. His hands rolled up into fists, and he gritted his teeth in defeat. Hattori noticed our uncomfort and bounded across the hills, until he too saw the message and understood.

Kudo was in disbelief, wearing an expression of disgust. "Why? Why did this happen? How could it have happened?"

Hattori sighed in anguish and answered with,"Because.... fate has its own ways, Kudo. And you and I can't change it."


	5. The Mystery of Girls

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.  
  
**Additional notes:** One vote for Heiji, one vote for Dr. Agasa, and three votes for Ai so far. Although I see that some of you are considering changing from Ai to Heiji.

* * *

**Prelude**

_A flashing of mysterious scenes traveled around repeatedly in Conan's mind. Every night, the small detective would have that exact same dream._

_The room. Dark and cold, yet addicting. Nothing brightened up the room except for a capsule, which contained..._

_It was all the same. Conan couldn't make out the blurry details, but he could tell what it was. Though the scene wasn't crystal-clear as it had been when he dreamed about this, it was detailed enough for Conan to remember._

_A dark room. Pitch-black, except for the spilt moonlight on the adjacent side of the room. A familiar figure, concealed by the dark shadows. A wardrobe with its doors sliding off to the side._

_A capsule that brightened up the region with its illuminating blue light. Bobbing up and down in the liquid inside was......_

_...Mouri Ran._

_And that was what Conan would remember before he woke up._

* * *

**Ephemeral  
Chapter 4: The Mystery of Girls**

**By Ember Mage**

* * *

Nothing was heard right now except for the tiny _pitter-patter_ of the rain. Kudo still froze in his pose as the message played again and again in his mind like a broken record. His head was bowed down, and his stone-cold expression showed a hint of defeat. With all the rain pouring over his saddened face, it was hard to tell if he was really crying. 

"K-kudo-kun..." I found myself saying, reaching up to touch his shoulder. I didn't know what to say, but silence was all he needed to be comforted. The refuge of my umbrella shielded him from the raining droplets.

Kudo's voice was barely louder than the music of a passing breeze. "She's...."

"Kudo-kun." I repeated, this time more firmly. My grip tightened on his shoulder blade. "I... I'm... sorry...."

Kudo did nothing but turn away, his once-sparkling aquamarine eyes darkening in gloom.

"Kudo-kun,"I whispered, reaching out and clasping his hand in mine. "Everything's going to be all right. We're not sure if she's actually _gone_ in _that way_, and there may be a chance, though slim, that she is still alive."

Even I was unsure about what I had just promised to Kudo. My voice sounded unstable and shaky, as though Gin had found me. As a reaction, Kudo ignored me. Obviously very natural; a behavior expected through research.

"Haibara-san."

"Yes?" I pondered, waiting anxiously for a response, both positive or negative.

"Look at me,"he commanded, turning to face me.

I willingly obeyed. Anything to make him feel better. The gloominess had left his eyes and was now replaced by a ferocious fire.

"Look at me,"Kudo repeated. "Tell me what you see."

Confusion was spread across my mind, but I followed along. Squinting, I gently leaned closer and studied his apprehensive face. "I... I see a man-"

"I'll tell you what I see,"Kudo interrupted me, slicing off my answer. "I'm just a lousy person who can't help his friends when he knows they are in danger. I'm a jinx that won't care about whether one of my friends is feeling all right, and I'm just a-"

_WHACK_.

Before anyone could do anything, Kudo stumbled, almost falling aside. His cheek smarted and tarnished into a shade of tomato red. Kudo stared up at the person who was cruel enough to exert his fist at his face with such alarming force with a wide-eyed expression that consisted of both shock and fear. There stood Hattori, the high school detective, that had delivered the ironically-quick buffet to the side of Kudo's face. His hand was wobbly, as if he was forced to do this, and I could sense tension in Hattori. His eyes were shaded by the bill of his trademark baseball cap, but I could see that he was apprehensive, awaiting a negative reaction from Kudo.

"Cut it out, Kudo,"snapped Hattori, now relaxing his arm to his side. "I'm sick of you blaming yourself for everything. Even if you had noticed Nee-chan's peculiar movements before, you couldn't have possibly stopped his either! It just happened! I know how much Nee-chan means to you, but she's our friend too. The Kudo I know never blames anyone for some idiotic reason, and certainly he absolutely never beats himself up!"

He stopped. Kudo solemnly looked down at the wet lawn.

To my surprise, Kudo flashed a wobbly grin at me. "Thanks, Hattori."

The tanned boy only replied with a quick nod.

An old yellow vehicle streamed with raindrops screeched by the curb of the park. Dr. Agasa abruptly leaped out of it, shading himself witha large turquoise umbrella. Catching a sight of us, he slowly jogged over to where we were, gasping and panting.

"Agasa-hakase." I nodded at his presence.

"_Finally_ I've caught up to you,"wheezed the professor, clutching his heart. "Do you know how fast you move?"

"Agasa, now's not the best time,"stated Hattori grimly, gesturing towards Kudo.

Dr. Agasa got the message quickly and immediately shut up. Draping the umbrella over Kudo and Hattori, he gently invited them to come back into the laboratory. Hattori crawled in the front seat next to Dr. Agasa while I softly held Kudo's moist hand in the backseat.

The coughing from the old car churned in some sort of rhythm, and currently, it was all I could hear besides the rain. I stole a glance at Kudo. Still in shock. The frown had been wiped off his face and had been replaced with a neutral expression.

Finally, Dr. Agasa spoke.

"Heiji-kun,"started Dr. Agasa, lowering the volume of his voice down slightly. "Kazuha-kun just called."

Hattori's thick eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? What'd the jerk say now?"

"She said that your mom called her on her cellphone and wants you to come back to Osaka."

"But I can't go now,"protested Hattori. "There's some unfinished business here."

"Oh, and she sounded kind of stressed, too. She kept calling you on your phone and text messaging you for the past hour, and yet you haven't responded to her."

Hattori cringed. "The times when I turn off my phone...."

Dr. Agasa went on. "You're taking a plane, right? I hear that they've rescheduled the next flight to 8:00 PM because of some weather conditions going on."

Hattori shrugged. "Then we could take the train. It's not really that bad."

A gasp was heard from Kudo. I whirled my attention towards the child next to me, and his face was in shock and surprise.Then, his expression softened,smoothing out with a confident look and smirk.

Hattori had noticed too. "I know that look..."

"Agasa-hakase, please drive us to the airport,"requested Kudo, folding his arms across his chest.

Dr. Agasa shrugged. "Okay. Why? There's nothing unusual there."

"Well, you may think that, but the poem containing the last prhase _the orchid has flown away_ shows that maybe Ran is at the airport. Airplanes fly. If she's not there we can try airplane model shops."

"Way to go, Kudo!" hooted Hattori.

Dr. Agasa directed his vehicle towards the nearest airport, leading us through a 1 hour drive. When we finally stopped at the airport, Dr. Agasa dropped us off so he could look for a parking space. I was about to leap off the vehicle, but Kudo stopped me.

"Haibara, go with Agasa-hakase,"commanded Kudo, unbuckling his seatbelt. "He needs help with you reminding him where to park the car, and help him look for any open spaces"

"But, Kudo-kun,"I protested, unbuckling my strap also. "I'm going to come with you whether you like it or not."

"Hai-" Kudo started to complain, but he kept his moth shut and dragged me with Hattori inside the building.

"_Flight 228 to Taipei, Taiwan is leaving at 5:00 PM_,"blared a feminine voice from the intercom. The airport was littered with adults walking here and there. Men and women opened their umbrellas out in the open, huddled in their parkas.

"Where should we look?" asked Hattori.

Kudo faltered. "That's what I haven't figured out. The message was too vague to determine the location."

That's when I felt a pair of eyes boring at me. A flash of black. My stomach felt queasy and my palms started sweating. It couldn't be. Something just didn't feel right. My heart hammered against my chest as I whirled around, and to my amazement the person was gone.

"Haibara. Haibara!"

I was snapped out of my thought bubble. Kudo was staring at me, his eyes fixed in worry.

"Haibara, what's wrong?" asked Kudo, this time more gently. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I looked back again. Heaving out a huge sigh, I murmured,"It's nothing." I peered at the spot again just to make sure. To confirm myself that there wasn't anything scary going on.

Hattori started sprinting towards Gate 68, with Kudo and me bounding along towards him. We searched the seats and areas for clues, until I felt the feeling again. This time a person clothed in black reached out to make a grab for me.

"Haibara!" Kudo and Hattori took notice and gasped.

"Excuse me, little girl, but are you looking for something?" asked the person, who turned out to be a friendly-looking old woman.

I quickly nodded. "We're looking for our distant relatives."

"Oh." The woman sounded surprised, and nodded. "Do you need help to find your parents? You look lost."

I shook my head. "My friends are with me."

"Okay. If you need any help, I'll be there,"said the senior, turning away.

The boys broke into a jog and approached me. Hattori wiped his forehead and sighed in relief. "I almost thought they had you there."

"Please." I rolled my eyes in disgust.

_RIRIRIRIRIRIRI_. _RIRIRIRIRIRIRI_.

A muffled ring was heard from Kudo's pocket, even through all the busy traffic going around in the airport. Kudo flipped the lid of his phone open and answered,"Hello?"

His face suddenly fel, and he replied,"Yeah. No, it's okay, we can call a taxi. Yeah. See you." He snapped it shut, and the phone found its place back into his jacket pocket.

"Well?" asked a wide-eyed Hattori.

Kudo groaned. "Agasa-hakase had to run out for something. Says that he forgot to turn off the stove, and that it's better to be safe than sorry. But we can always catch a taxi."

I shrugged. Then, my heart almost skipped a beat. I could feel blood rush out of my face.

In the corner of the room I saw the person again. Clad in black, and glaring at me. Its face was concealed under the collar of its trenchcoat. Hattori noticed my pale stare, and he nudged Kudo. The trenchcoat person seemed to jump in surprise when Kudo and Hattori glared at it. It disappeared behind a wall.

Instantly, Hattori leaped over a row of seats and started chasing the man. The wild goose chase was on/ Kudo blended in with the other passing passengers and followed the trenchcoat person. I had no choice but to follow him in case it had partners. Kudo spun through the hallway and the food court, pushing by people here and there.

Kudo gritted his teeth and pressed a soccer ball inflation button on his belt, but I stopped him.

"_No_! Kudo-kun, there are too many people here! What if you hit them by accident?"

The boy gave up that method and continued running after him. Since Kudo had stopped to attempt his soccer ball kicking trick, it took us a long time before we could catch up to Hattori. The chase was taken outside. Hattori first didn't see the figure until he saw a flash of a black trenchcoat passing through the sliding doors of the airport. He sprinted after the man, but the trenchcoat man had already disappeared into the parking lot. Before Hattori could cross the street, cars blocked his way, honking like crazy. He helplessly watched our suspect vanish from view.

The Osakan detective slumped, panting, becoming wet with rain and sweat. Kudo and I managed to catch up to the point of where he was now.

Hattori cursed as he punched the ground. "I lost him."


	6. Out Comes Vermouth

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho.  
  
**Additional notes:** Some people have guessed who the kidnapper was. Currently, there's one vote for Dr. Agasa and another vote for Heiji.

* * *

Yet again I am using the Japanese version, so I will provide a list of names to avoid confusion. Japanese names have their family name listed first. It's just a habit of mine.  
  
Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 130.)  
Haibara Ai - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 129.)  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Dr. Agasa Hiroshi - Dr. Agasa  
There's more, but since all the characters in the anime don't really appear in this story, I won't list them. I'll list them if they happen to be in this chapter.

* * *

**Prelude**

_Darkness._

_Total darkness._

_"Because....... because...... because....."_

_The words spun repeatedly over in his mind. Even when he closed his_ _hands over his ears, the voice wouldn't go away because it was inside his head._

_"Because.... fate...."_

_Vaguely, he could make out the first word, which was then followed by a dramatic pause. It chanted repetitively over and over again, and the rest of the sentence was blurred in mutters from the whispers._

_"Fate...... Kudo......you and I..... change...."_

_What was it trying to say? Conan knew that it had something to do with Ran's disappearance. But that was as far as he had gotten to - just like an old man deciding which move he could make in a chess game, as he was cornered._

_"Because....fate.....own ways, Kudo..... you... I... can't change..... fate..."_

_Conan frowned in his sleep, struggling to listen. But... what was it trying to tell him? It had something to do with fate.... and change._

_Fate and change._

_At last, the words became clear._

_"Because.... fate has its own ways, Kudo. And you and I can't change it."_

_He then woke up from the horrible nightmare._

* * *

**Ephemeral  
  
By Ember Mage  
  
Chapter 5: Out Comes Vermouth**

* * *

Rain was falling in sheets outside around Tokyo. Rainy days like today symbolize an unfortunate event; the arrival of doom, like in childhood fairytales. Or that may be so to describe the crestfallen children eagerly yearning for the warmth of the sun so they can escape the dungeons of their households to run out into the wild zones of kickball. Boredom and dismay. These days, rain meant different things. Rain can be interpreted into other types of emotions. It can also be a tool for inspiration. For say, an artist is inspired by the small icy teardrops rolling from a gray sky, and would enjoy playing in the mud all through the afternoon to be inspired for a poem or an art piece. Running out to feel the cold droplets against his face, to feel and be the rain itself. Rain can be the source of sadness, because it represents the teardrops falling from one's eyes, or it can be used in stories that bond the girl and boy together in romance, causing a dramatic scene.  
  
Rain had seperated his search from the one girl he had loved since.... forever can be assumed.  
  
"Ugh!" Kudo grunted in frustration, throwing up his fist and letting his foot crash down onto the cement. It was frightening - almost as if Kudo had turned into a new person - a savage, demonic monster bent on revenge. 

Hattori cursed. "I'm sorry, Kudo; he was too witty and he managed to elude me."

If Kudo weren't so irate and in denial, he would have said that it was all right, and that Hattori had tried his best. But he wasn't in the mood. None of us were.

"Let's go home and plan some more,"I suggested softly.

Hattori stood in silence. Since this was not the best time for us to walk home, Hattori was already at the sidewalk, waving a nearby rain-frosted taxi over. Holding his hand, I gently led the emotionless boy into the safe bosom of the vehicle. As Kudo was seated between Hattori and me, he went from sour lemon mode to a soft apple mood. The detective wistfully folded his hands and pressed them to his lips in a thoughtful pose; the same one he had been in when I had handed him his beverage of hot chocolate. The ocean-blue eyes that had once been alight with his usual spark were dull and tired.

Hattori fixed his elbow on one of the armrests on the side of the car and watched the silver skies rain cats and dogs. It seemed that he wasn't in the mood for talking also. The great detective of the west was just as glum and unsatisfied like the rest of us. Not even a _tsukomi_ joke popped out of his lips as the car hummed along to our destination. The rhythm of the rain seemed to speak for all of us, and its beating somehow made Kudo feel slightly better. I must admit, the rain soothes you for some sort of unfathomable reason.

The soothing sound of silence was shattered when Hattori yelled,"Hey. Hey! Stop the taxi! You just passed our street!!"

The taxi kept churning forward and forward. Streets that were once familiar to me had suddenly vanished and now we were heading to the middle of nowhere.

Then it struck me.

This wasn't an... the taxi driver was....

... _the same person from the airport_.

We were plummeting down straight to Hell.

Whimpering, I pulled my damp jacket over my ears and hunched backwards into the seats. Feeling my uneasiness, Kudo was alert, staring from me to the driver. Hattori was still busy trying to grab the driver's attention, but he didn't reply to any of his protests. The driver kept directing the vehicle to a couple of alleys and...

Kudo caught on quickly, and flicked out his watch.

Finally, the car lurched to a halt. When Kudo was about to launch a shot at the driver, he turned around and a gloved hand the color of ebony pressed a gun directly towards Kudo's nose. With the other hand, the man pulled off his face.

No, not a face! It was a mask!!

Golden hair restrained by a hair tie fell around the person's shoulders, revealing the unmistakable face of-

"CHRIS VINEYARD?!" gasped Hattori, his overly-tanned face becoming a paler color.

I reached for the doorknob, but found that the doors were locked. Vermouth must have set up the child-protection locks! Hattori also fumbled with his side of the car, but stopped when Vermouth said with a pursed smile,"No use trying to escape. You're all going to die anyway."

The lid of Kudo's watch opened, but Vermouth noticed. She forcefully thrusted the weapon at Kudo's forehead.

"_Nuh-uh-uh, little boy_,"the actress said mockingly in English, making cute faces at Kudo as if he were a mere infant. "Can't be playing with your little itty-bitty toys or else I'm going to have to _blast your head off_, huh?"

Kudo was shaking and gritted his teeth, but reluctantly, he closed his watch.

Vermouth cackled evilly. "I knew you'd see things my way." She turned to me and nodded her chin towards outside. "You. Sherry. You're coming with me right now."

I sat there, dumbfounded. My palms were sweating.

"I SAID _NOW_, SHERRY!" roared Vermouth at the top of her lungs. "WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!! COME WITH ME OR I'LL BLAST YOUR LITTLE BOYFRIEND'S HEAD OFF!!"

"She can't,"answered Kudo with as much courage as he could muster. "You've got the child-protection locks set on both car doors on the backseat."

"Shut up, you smart alec!" demanded Vermouth, furiously reaching out for my hand. My eyes wandered fearfully at Kudo, and he peered at me with a triumphant smirk. His eyes held confidence, even though he wasn't sure about our survival. The words he had said to me this morning echoed in the distant space of my mind.

_"Haibara, if you were kidnapped by Gin I wouldn't forgive myself. They've already got Ran, and I can't let that happen again. I've already promised to protect you, no matter what, and if I don't, I'd be doing something that would betray everything I've known."_

"B-but-" I started to say, but discovered I couldn't say anything to Kudo at the moment. Vermouth was aware of something out of the blue happening, but that didn't stop her from holding the gun at Kudo's head. I couldn't let Vermouth hurt Kudo - Kudo was more important to me besides my friends, family, and Onee-chan. I took a deep breath and brought up bravery as hard as I could.

"If you want me dead so much, then kill me already,"I heard myself say, but I felt horror wash upon me. Still, I didn't let the effects reach my features and showed Vermouth how frightened I was in the inside.

"Hai-Haibara!" gasped Kudo and Hattori. Vermouth simply raised an eyebrow.

"As much as I want to kill you, those are not my orders,"she informed us. "You're coming back, dead or alive, but more dead than alive." She grabbed my hand. "Come."

I tried to withdraw my hand, but Vermouth was quicker. Her gloved hands clamped around my wrist, dragging me so my head thonked the front seat.

"What have you done with Ran?!" Kudo wanted to know in a voice filled with defiance.

Vermouth frowned. "Angel? What do you mean? I haven't done anything to her."

"Don't lie!" ordered Kudo, his eyes turning into tiny angry slits minute by minute.

Even though Vermouth had years and years of drama training, there was a perpetual look of confusion displayed on her face. It occured to all of us that Vermouth wasn't the woman behind Mouri's disappearance. But then.... _who was_?

Shrugging with a wicked smile on her blood-red lips, she made a quick tug on my arm. "Whether we have Angel or not, Sherry is still coming with us." She turned to me. "Until then, if you don't want to see your friends hurt, then I suggest you move it, you buffoon." She adjusted her grip on the handle of the firearm and gestured to Kudo. "And if you or that Osaka kid interfere, I'll shoot both of your puny heads off."

Kudo and Hattori obeyed, not willing to take chances. The gun was still out, but with one strong pull, I tumbled over to the front side of the taxi, sitting next to the blonde woman. While Vermouth watched me go over the seat, Kudo flipped out his watch and fired at Vermouth.

Not expecting the risky attempt, Vermouth flailed down and was in a limp state of unconsciousness. Kudo pushed himself forward and opened the car door. "Let's get out of here, guys."

Even if he hadn't said that, I would have wanted to get out of there, anyway. As Hattori leaped out of the taxi, I heard him ask,"What should we do about her? Should we turn her in?"

Kudo said yes and I nodded in agreement, but oddly, there were voices at the bright side of the alley.

"She said she'd be here. She said that she found Sherry."

I winced at the sound of the familiar tone, and felt the ugly feeling insde my stomach again. I could see an old black car parked in front of the alley, and two figures were advancing towards the taxi.

"Gin!" I instinctively heard Kudo cry, and he made a run for it. Hattori and I followed him, trying to be as silent as possible. Thankfully, we had disappeared into the dark alleyways before Gin and Vodka noticed us.

Vermouth would have to wait in the future.


	7. Debates

**Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Case Closed/Meitantei Conan** and its characters are the sole property of Aoyama Gosho. 

**Additional notes: **Sorry if I made Vermouth too out of character. I guess I'm much more used to writing villians as cold-hearted, like Gin. Also, this story came out different from what I have had before. I pasted this online and then recently had the server crash.... and the story went down the drain. But gladly it's back up now.

* * *

Yet again I am using the Japanese version, so I will provide a list of names to avoid confusion. Japanese names have their family name listed first. It's just a habit of mine. 

Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 130.)  
Haibara Ai - Not in **Case Closed** yet. (Appears in episode 129.)  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Dr. Agasa Hiroshi - Dr. Agasa  
Yoshida Ayumi - Amy Yoshida  
Kojima Genta - George Kojima  
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko - Mitch  
There's more, but since all the characters in the anime don't really appear in this story, I won't list them. I'll list them if they happen to be in this chapter.

* * *

**Prelude**

_Ran sat in one of the tables in the cafe at the mall. Sonoko was supposed to meet her 10 minutes ago,but like always, the rich girl was late. She probably picked up a few guys along the way._

_The karate champion sighed. If Sonoko didn't arrive soon, there was no way that they'd be able to find something for Conan. It had been a long time since Shinichi was gone, and she wanted to celebrate the day Conan came to her home. The little boy was such a blessing to Ran, and reminded her of Shinichi so much that sometimes Ran didn't miss him a lot. _

_Shinichi.... _

_Ran felt depression creep onto her again. The stupid boy had ran off with his dumb detective cases, and left her in a worry. Many times he had phoned and said that he'd be back, and Ran trusted him. After all, he had been friends with her so long that she couldn't even remember the first time she saw him. _

_Her thoughts were interrupted when someone familiar to her happened to walk by in the mall. _

_"Hey!" Ran ran over to the figure and waved. The person disappeared near an abandoned place, and Ran finally got over to it. _

_"Hi!" she greeted her friend. "It's such a coincidence to see you here! Have you seen Sonoko?" _

_"Yes. She's at the food court with 2 boys." _

_Ran scowled. "Oh, that Sonoko! Running off with boys rather than helping me find something for Conan-kun!" Turning to the kidnapper, she smiled and said,"Want to go over and join-" _

_That was how far she got before she blacked out._

* * *

**Ephemeral **

By Ember Mage

Chapter 6: Debates

* * *

"They're.... they're _gone_,"gasped Kudo, breathing heavily. He was relieved that this part of the venture was over. We were in the middle of nowhere; trapped in a maze of unknown alleys and streets littered with dirty newpapers and disgusting fast food containers. But at least, we were away from them.

Yes, them. Miraculously we had escaped before Gin had caught a sight of me. Hattori's face was plastered in sweat, and his arm was pressed against the wall to support his weight.

"You better believe it,"I retorted, my usual dull manner returning to me at the moment.

Oddly, Hattori didn't crack any jokes out here in this situation. Kudo started walking down the alley until a peak of light blinded my eyes. Civilization. The roads were full of activity - cars swerving here and there, townspeople walking towards their destination - not like that place Vermouth drove us to.

"It's getting quite late,"I stated, staring up at the darkening gray sky. "We should get home soon."

"She's right," Kudo agreed quickly. "It's also too dangerous for Haibara to be out here too. We can't risk getting her captured again."

For the first time, Hattori seemed unsure of what to do at the moment. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Kudo seemed quiet, but then he slowly suggested,"Hattori, you take Haibara home. I'll track down more clues, and I'll get Agasa to take you guys home."

"_No way_!" Hattori exclaimed. "There is no way I am going to let you handle this without me! I'm in this, and Nee-chan was my friend, too!"

"Hattori,"repeated Kudo, frowning. "I want you to take Haibara home and be there for her in case the Black Organization try to kidnap her again. They've already gotten Ran, and we can't let them take any more of our friends. Take her to Agasa's lab and stay there. I don't think he is strong enough to fend them off if they strike there."

"But, _Kudo_-" Hattori started to protest, but I cut him off.

"Listen to him,"I spoke up, receiving surprised glances in my direction. Hattori's stubbornness usually saved us at the last minute, but now wasn't the time for it.

I continued. "Kudo-kun's right. We can't take any chances, and now's not the time to argue. What Kudo-kun says has to be done, because he is most likely right. He's been in these types of situations more than you have, and let's stick with them. Things can be messy if we don't."

Hattori lowered his fists with a stressed groan. Kudo was silent, and then nodded. "Thanks, Haibara. I'll wait here and after you guys leave, I'll go."

With a discreet smile, I turned my back to the two famous detectives and added,"Besides.... I think Kudo-kun has his own little mystery to solve."

Both Hattori and Kudo looked confused from my remark.

* * *

The shrunken detective pulled out his cellphone and speed-dialed the professor. After confirming his coordinates, pretty soon, the familiar coughing from Agasa's old car was heard over the loud traffic and conversations of other people.

Overtime, Kudo was finally convinced to end his search for the present. There were too less clues and he'd be walking around in circles. That, and it was getting late. Even though Kudo sometimes liked doing nightwork at appropriate times, he even admitted that he didn't know where to look without getting home. He said that he would start a search from Mouri's room to where she said she would be before she had disappeared.

That sounded like a good plan, and soon Kudo grew weary and tired from our adventure today, not to mention still a little depressed about Mouri's kidnapping. When Agasa pulled up into his garage, a whole group of friends were standing near his laboratory - Toyama, Suzuki, and the rest of the Detective Boys.

As soon as Hattori came out of the car, Toyama dropped her yellow umbrella and bombarded him with hugs, her hair dampened from the rain. Suzuki wasn't her normal annoying self and was by Toyama's side, comforting her all through the way. Kudo leapt out of the car, and was greeted by the innocent Yoshida, who quickly buried her face into Kudo's chest in a small hug. The hood of her slicker and fallen off her head, and her face was moist from the atmosphere and sweat.

I was surprised that Kudo didn't even try to push Yoshida away as he normally would. Kojima and Tsuburaya weren't even jealous that Yoshida was embracing Kudo and not them. It was like a warped universe - what we normally would meet on a bright day was now... downed to _this_.

"I-I'm sorry, Conan-kun!" cried Yoshida, bursting out into tears; her sunny mood becoming clouded. "We tried, but the police people said that Ran-nee-chan wasn't there.."

Kudo acted as he had expected this, and gently patted Yoshida's shoulder. "There, there. It's all right. You guys did your best, and that's what mattered. You should get home now."

"They still haven't found Ran-chan yet!" Toyama madly sobbed, collapsing into the great detective of the west's arms.

"Kazuha, you should get some rest,"said Hattori, gingerly smoothing her forehead.

"_I'm not going back to Osaka_," was her remark to Hattori's comment.

The crowd finally dispersed. Hattori took Toyama into the hotel where they were staying at, accompanied with Suzuki, and the Detective Boys walked home by themselves. Inside the laboratory, Kudo had that look plastered on his face the whole time in the reunion with the group. The look usually indicated that he was in a thoughtful repose.

There Kudo was, staring at the coffee table, contemplating over the clues he had stumbled over. I made myself and him a cup of peppermint tea to calm his nerves. I passed the time by studying the APTX 4869 on my notebook computer in hopes to finding the cure. While reading about the data, Kudo finally piped up.

"Haibara....I've been wondering...."

"Yes?" I looked up.

"It's weird that when we mentioned Ran to Vermouth, she seemed slightly perplexed. Could it mean that her organization doesn't have Ran?"

I took a sip of the tea. "Maybe her boss has her. Vermouth probably wouldn't know of this."

"Correct, but Vermouth always tried to protect Ran since she saved her in New York. Her boss probably doesn't really know what happened with me, so there's no reason why they should capture Ran. Vermouth seems to know our identities, but she hasn't told anyone else yet. I know of that, otherwise Gin would have come to this place right now to annihilate us."

"Cut to the chase, Kudo-kun." With a small thump, I set my cup down onto the coffee table. "What is your point?"

Kudo sighed, and forced himself to say his thoughts. "_I think_... the kidnapper is-"

We were interrupted by the chime of the doorbell. Coincidentally, it didn't sound very excited as it normally did. Kudo gestured towards me with his eyes, indicating that I hide somewhere, and he held his wristwatch at steady.

The doorbell rang again. The boy leaped to the front door and opened it.

From where I was hiding, I couldn't see anyone at the front door, but I knew that no one should take any chances. Kudo took one step out side, and came back in, slamming the door shut. After fixing the latches shut, he slowly opened the paper, which was wet from the rain.

"Kudo-kun."

I ran over to his side, and I noticed as he read on with the note, his face turned pale again.

It must have been a note from the kidnapper....

_My dear detective, I should let you know  
You'll never catch me by the time it snows  
Your dear little orchid wilts in my arms  
Her life will be restored when she's stored in my farm._

Kudo handed me the note, and slumped on the loveseat in defeat.


	8. Heist or Hoax?

**Disclaimer:** Meitantei Conan/Detective Conan/Case Closed is by Aoyama Gosho, aired by YTV, and dubbed by FUNimation. I'm not affiliated with them, no money is made out of this.

* * *

**Notes:** The song from the radio is Seira's (voiced by Kitamura Eri) new theme song, **Birth of Love**, from **Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure**. The series has just ended last Christmas Eve... and you can get the clip of Seira singing it at www.mermaidmelody.de - in German, but quite navigatable. Find it in the **December 5, 2004** post.

* * *

**Ephemeral**

**Chapter 8: Heist or Hoax?**

* * *

Rain was falling in sheets outside around Tokyo. Rainy days like today symbolize an unfortunate event; the arrival of doom, like in childhood fairytales. Or that may be so to describe the crestfallen children eagerly yearning for the warmth of the sun so they can escape the dungeons of their households to run out into the wild zones of kickball. Boredom and dismay. These days, rain meant different things. Rain can be interpreted into other types of emotions. It can also be a tool for inspiration. For say, an artist is inspired by the small icy teardrops rolling from a gray sky, and would enjoy playing in the mud all through the afternoon to be inspired for a poem or an art piece. Running out to feel the cold droplets against his face, to feel and be the rain itself. Rain can be the source of sadness, because it represents the teardrops falling from one's eyes, or it can be used in stories that bond the girl and boy together in romance, causing a dramatic scene.

Rain had seperated his search from the one girl he had loved since... forever can be assumed.

At the rate the rain was pouring, it would take forever to switch the gray morning into a happy day. School was already cancelled due to the immense floods from the irregularly-pouring rain. The moment I woke up, I was greeted by the rhythmic pounding of the dismal weather drumming against the roof. (Maybe it was the "rhythmic pounding" that woke me up.) As soon as I entered the living room, I flicked on the radio for the daily morning news.

"_Teen sleuth Hakuba Saguru has attempted to decode the Kid's plan, only to have the phantom thief escape with the well-crafted Egyptian bracelet from the museum downtown. As usual, Hakuba was close behind, but with this, Kid is always one step ahead of the half-Britain_!"

The radio blared with news about the latest heist on the phantom thief, and his success. If Kudo couldn't catch that thief, then of course the little amateur Hakuba couldn't. But then again, the world is so mysterious in its own ways - maybe even Yoshida could catch the thief someday if she wanted to. Fate could even decide that by the time Kid would be caught, Mouri would be found.

When?

Only time would tell.

Kudo had stayed up at night, nervously biting his thumb nail as he tried to decode the message. I knew I should have forced him to get some sleep, but this was his case, his choice, and his decision to do it. Dr. Agasa was notified immediately about the message, and he tried to help Kudo break the chains the riddle was confining him to.

I made myself another cup of tea as I switched the volume louder to hear more news about the police. The distortion from the rain made it more complicated to comprehend, but once in a whil, when the rain dimmed a little bit, you could hear the words spoken clearly. The current news flash was over and was replaced by a familiar tune.

"_Ai to yume ga hitotsu wo ni nari... kanashii ima wo hoshikuzu ni shite kureru tara shinjite..._"

The morning radio hummed the new hit that I heard many annoying girls sing. I switched the volume slightly lower, and calmly strolled over to wear Kudo was. His glasses were askew (even though he didn't really need them to see), he looked messy, and he was lost in a deep slumber.

"Wake up, Snow White,"I commanded, poking him.

"Huh?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "N-not now... Haibara... I'm busy trying to... solve this... riddle..."

He fell asleep again, and I didn't continue trying to break his sleep. Let the poor boy have some rest after his hard work. It was no use to wake him up for the moment.

"_Kono chikara... yume wo dame ni..._"

I set a cup of tea next to him, and sat by him trying to pick out a hint from the new software I had received from Dr. Agasa. Before trying to adjust the levels of sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide, I heard Kudo groan again.

"_Ai ni naritai..._"

Awakened by the music, Kudo got up and ruffled his rumpled hair. "Haibara... how long have I been asleep?"

Not even bothering to look up, I pointed to the clock hanging on the wall. "It's already 10:34. I'm judging that you fell asleep around 2 last night."

The detective looked amazed, pushing his glasses onto his face. "R-really?"

I nodded, continuing to focus on my work. After a long nap, Kudo seemed to have regained some of his light-mooded spunk back. After finishing his own morning rituals, Kudo returned to the living room, at work trying to solve the puzzle.

"_Her life will be restored when she's stored on my farm_,"he mumbled repeatedly, flipping the note over and over again.

"Maybe on a farm?" I suggested dismissively.

Kudo eyed me. "Probably... that's the only hint worth taking note of, but assuming it's a farm is just too easy."

"This riddle seems similar to the Kid's,"a voice spoke up. It was Dr. Agasa, rummaging through his refrigerator for something to eat. Even though the pizza was of no use, Dr. Agasa didn't even touch its cardboard confines.

"Maybe it was the Kid,"I spoke up.

Kudo denied my theory. "It can't be Kid. If it was the Kid, then he would have signed the letter. Plus, the Kid steals jewels and valuables, not women."

"He steals the hearts of women,"I said again.

"You're making this more complicated than it needs to be,"groaned Kudo, clutching his head. "I need time to think..."

"Let's go meet the Kid himself,"I said slowly.

"Right after I finish this,"was his quick answer.

Eventually the detective, doctor, and little old me were pulled into the yellow automobile; Dr. Agasa drove us to the other side of Tokyo, where the next heist was to be located, as stated in the newspaper. Kudo still had his eye practically glued to the paper during the whole trip.

* * *

Kudo finally folded the paper and placed it in his pocket when he exited the car. Outside of the museum was a crowd of maybe at least 100 people. Many of them were waving banners and cheering Kid on. If Suzuki were not so down about Mouri being missing, she probably would have been here screaming her lungs out for him.

The front of the museum had a long caution tape stretched across the pillars. Patrol guards were scattered around the region, yammering on their communication devices, or just strolling around with a keen eye open for details. Kudo blankly looked left-to-right, and then waved me over.

"Haibara,"he whispered quietly in my ear. "I'm going in through the back. Stay with Agasa."

I nodded. "Right..."

Before I could add anything to my response, Kudo was already off and running, sneaking behind people here and there and threading his way into the museum without being caught. One of the officers almost caught sight of Kudo, and I took this time to walk into the temporarily-forbidden area to distract the guards.

"Get out of here, Missy!" growled one of the officers, waving me away from the soon-to-be crime scene.

"I apologize,"I muttered rather bluntly, not caring what the men would do.

"Ai-kun,"gasped the old man, panting as he came across me. Dr. Agasa pulled me next to him and laughed apologetically at the officers. "I'm sorry. This is my distant relative, and she has an interest in police work."

The officers looked surprised. The one who snapped at me even chuckled. "Well, I'll be. But this work is for professionals only."

"Ai-kun, let's leave and find a better spot,"whispered Dr. Agasa, glancing at the policemen in front of us.

I sighed. "Whatever."

"Let her stay,"came a voice out of nowhere. The policemen looked behind them, and shrugged.

The officer that had chuckled at me said,"Well, all right. But if she interferes, you're the one responsible."

"Young lady, please stand back,"said the voice again, which turned out to be a young man who looked neither Japanese and neither British. It must be Hakuba Saguru, the detective featured in the radio this morning. He slightly reminded me of myself for being half-Japanese.

"What are you setting up?" I asked, watching police officers surround the building, stretching along bright-yellow caution tape around the premises. As if the building hadn't been decked by the school bus-yellow tape.

Hakuba looked like he was about to tell me, but probably decided against it. I secretly smiled. The freak. He must have thought that I was part of the Kid's plan.

"You'll find out very soon, Miss." His golden pocket watch was drawn out, and the second hand ticked around the black Roman numbers.

"His heist will begin in... 6.05 seconds..."

The lights were switched off, and there was darkness.

Total darkness.

"It's Kid!" roared an officer.

"No, really!" screeched Inspector Nakamori, fumbling around the walls for light. Hakuba flicked on a switch with portable lights, but all that could be seen was a billowing dove-white cape floating in the heater pipe above.

"Kid! Why that-" Inspector Nakamori's threat was cut off by Hakuba, who raised a hand to pause his rant.

"Trust me, Nakamori-keibu. I've got it all worked out."

Even with those calming words, Nakamori was still worked up. "You amateur! You think that a high school kid can capture the elusive thief!"

"Only time would tell,"was Hakuba's response as his grip tightened on his pocket watch.

Dr. Agasa tapped my shoulder. "Where is Shinichi-kun? Have you seen where he went?"

"Probably with Kid,"was my dull reply. "He'll be back soon."

Kid didn't turn up again for the next ten minutes and neither did Kudo. I was starting to worry. Dr. Agasa and I left the museum and looked up and down for any trace of the shrunken detective or the phantom thief. Suddenly, Dr. Agasa spotted a cluster of snow-white doves. It was irregular to have that many doves in such a wet weather, and Kid was known to tame doves. As we hurried into an alley, I saw a flash of white.

"Get down!" commanded the professor, urging me to crouch upon our entrance. A poker card stabbed into the place where I had been before.

A playful chuckle escaped into the air, and the tone of the laugh was too old to be from Kudo, too young to be from Dr. Agasa, and too masculine to be from me. Only one person in this area would fit the snicker.

Kaitou Kid.

"Where have you taken Ran?" Kudo yelled as he dashed around.

A screech, and in the dim light I could see Kudo dodge another card, which turned out to be the ace of black spades. A spectrum of bright lights zipped here and there, which indicated that Kudo turned on his shoes and had fired something at the thief.

Kid only smiled before firing another card. "Nowhere. I just can't stand the type of girl she is, you know. Why would I waste my time capturing someone without any jewels?"

Another shot.

"You!"

To my horror, when Kudo jumped to avoid another shot, a trash can toppled over his small body. Overhead, the thief cocked his gun and poised it in front of him as he ascended into the midnight sky.

"You lie!" cursed Kudo again. "Tell me!"

Kid still had that smirk pasted on his face. "Aren't you a stubborn one?"

The little detective could only give the thief a dirty look on his sweating face.

The gun was aimed at Kudo.

"They say the joker is the deadliest card of them all,"he grinned.

_Click_. The gun was ready to shoot its target at any moment, and no one dared to move. "I'm thinking that you're probably wondering why this has happened, and let me answer that for you, Tantei-san. Because... fate has its own ways, Kudo. And you and I can't change it."

"No,"I gasped and headed towards Kudo in an attempt to shield him from harm as he would do to me, but Dr. Agasa held me tight; his face as pale as a ghost. He was paralyzed with fear.

Kid pressed the trigger.

No one moved.

_POOF!_

Out came a cluster of roses from the end of his gun.

"Ha, fooled you!" cried the Kid, trying to hide a smile of amusement. He had bluffed enough for one night, and disappeared in a clicéd puff of smoke.

Kudo grumbled and dusted the garbage off of him, still in disbelief about Kid's trick. He scowled, groaning in defeat. Surely, he had a hunch that the Kid was never behind Mouri's kidnapping to begin with but now with all these hints floating around, he wasn't so sure.

"Kudo-kun,"I called.

The boy trudged over to the doctor and me, but surprisingly his face held not the angry bitterness that Kid had left him, but a thoughtful one. He held his chin, his lips repeating what the Kid had told him. After contemplating, he snatched the poker card that the Kid had fired at me when the professor and I first arrived.

"It's okay, Kudo-kun,"I said.

Kudo stared at the poker card for a while, and then slowly said,"I... guess he was never part of the whole thing..." 


End file.
